(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the armoring of wheeled vehicles to better protect the vehicle's occupants from various types of threats and attacks.
(2) Description of Related Art
A central problem in the field of military vehicles is the difficulty in armoring. Effective armoring inherently consumes much of a vehicle's load carrying capacity, making for decreased mobility, decreased vehicle life, and increased cost. Current art, such as HMMWVs (High-Mobility, Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles modified with armor kits or armored HMMWVs, essentially creates a box of armor surrounding the occupants of the vehicle, distributing the armor evenly around the exterior of the vehicle. While the occupants are evenly protected from attack from all angles, the level of this protection is relatively low. Current art is particularly unable to defeat roadside improvised explosive devices (IEDs), other explosive munitions such as rocket propelled grenades (RPGs), and armor piercing rounds. This failure results in the deaths of many US soldiers as well as tactical difficulties. Not only is current art relatively ineffective at protecting the occupants of the vehicle, but these vehicles are highly recognizable to enemy forces, often very slow, and are very costly.